


I Don't Have a Lot of Friends

by makingitwork



Series: Bughead Prompts [11]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: AU, Betty you will be drunk, Drabble, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Halloween, Happy Ending, bughead - Freeform, harley quinn betty, joker jughead, meet cute, preslash, varchie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-05 18:41:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15176918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makingitwork/pseuds/makingitwork
Summary: Joker Jughead and Harley Betty meet at a Halloween Party.It's definitely a treat.





	I Don't Have a Lot of Friends

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this!!! x

"If you keep fidgeting, Jughead Jones, you might not have any hair left. And you do so  _love_ crushing these lovely locks under that horrendous beanie of yours, so if I were you, I'd keep still. How does that sound?" Veronica's smile was sickly sweet and Jughead glared up at her, but focused on relaxing his shoulders and making his neck limp, so she could tug his head this way and that whilst she smeared the green chalk onto him. 

Even though this was one of the later stages of his transformation, he wasn't entirely sure why exactly he was letting her doll him up. Don't get him wrong, he loved  _Halloween,_ it was a night when his brooding, mullish nature served him exceedingly well. And he got a certain thrill from seeing some of his favourite fictional, or non-fictional heroes roaming the streets with chocolate stains smeared around their mouths. One of his favourite memories was watching with barely contained glee as a zombified Fred Flintstones argued with Pop about the price of a strawberry milkshake. But did that really sit on the same level as letting Veronica Lodge, his best friend's girlfriend, attack him with her make up bag? "Why couldn't I be Truman Capote or something?" He asked pitifully, and winced at the way his voice sounded suspiciously like a whine.

Veronica smiled, and he let his eyes trail over her contemplatively. He couldn't really peg what she was in her creamy beige dress with featured wings. Was it a reference to something above his pay grade? "Why do I know that name?" She asked, setting down the green chalk and sprucing up his hair with her gloved fingers here and there. 

"Probably _Breakfast at Tiffanys,_ " he sighed, shaking his head at her. "He's done so much more than that. It's a travesty. You're wounding me." 

"Huh." He watched as she tugged off her gloves with a snap, and lay them on the low lying coffee table. She picked up the white powder and he cringed away from her.

"You've already laden me with that! My face feels like I've been dipped in wax!"

She huffed at him, but obediently set it down, crossing her arms as she looked over him scrutinisingly. There was some bronzing glitter on her cheeks, Jughead noticed, as he stared back at her. Eventually, a pleased smirk crossed her face. "You, Mr Jones, are  _sexy."_

He blinked, unsure he'd heard right. But her smug smirk stayed in place, and he could feel a blush rising against his cheeks. He stood up, and she gestured to the full length mirror mounted on the wall within a silver frame. He stepped apprehensively before it and blinked in surprise. He looked...well, maybe sexy was the word. It was his own white shirt, with the top few buttons undone (more than he was comfortable with but Veronica was nothing if not persuasive), but it was the purple suit jacket she'd given him that completed the look. His hair was unnaturally green, but it didn't offset the ensemble. He nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets and turning to see her victorious look. "Aright, alright, I surrender. You reign supreme."

She curtseyed gracefully, and they both looked up as Archie strode into the living room, grinning from ear to ear. 

Jughead grinned, nodding at the Spiderman onesie. "You look like a million bucks, Arch," he called, sliding his phone off the table and leaning against the wall as he loaded up candy crush. 

"Thanks man, you look good too." Archie beamed, adjusting the blue sleeves in the mirror. "I'm surprised you didn't go as some obscure reference I wouldn't get. But the Joker's great! Everyone will know who you are, at least," his reflection waggled his eyebrows and Jughead snorted.

"Yeah, that's the dream." 

"You look great too, Ronnie," Archie called, satisfied and turning towards her. "Beautiful," he murmured, voice love-struck and Jughead rolled his eyes, returning to his phone and catching a string of blue candy that had been appropriately decorated with little skulls. "What are you? A m-"

"If you call her a moth, she might actually kill you." Jughead warned without looking up.

"A... _magical_ angel?" Archie's voice rang out hesitatingly, and Veronica sighed, waving both of them away as if they were useless and heading back into her bedroom for her hand bag. After she'd gone, Archie walked up to Jughead and slid the phone from his lax grip, looking at him expectantly. 

"Hey! I was about to beat my high score-"

"You sure you're alright with this man?" Archie asks, cutting through the niceties and going straight for the heart. 

Jughead turns his head away, but instead of offering the deadbeat 'yes' he'd thrown around the last few days after he'd agreed to attend Veronica's halloween party, he thinks. He knows the two of them feel sorry for him, well, he doesn't understand why it's a bad thing to be single at twenty-four, Jughead thinks it's just fine. But sometimes he does get...lonely, maybe. After he'd read Jellybean her bedtime story, and then laid in his own bed, typing out a few more pages to his story, there was a distinct lack of someone lying beside him. Of a voice independent of that in his head. Veronica had interventioned him in a way that only she could, and when- even after some extreme persuading- he'd still been hesitant, she'd told him that Archie thought so too, and Jughead had looked up to see the red-head nodding guiltily in the corner. 

Thus he'd sold his soul to the devil, and he didn't feel as bad about it as he thought he would. 

"I'm okay," he said honestly, meeting his friend's concerned eyes. "Worst that happens is I get brutally rejected by a girl just like in Highschool and go back to burying my hand in female-free sands." 

Archie rolls his eyes fondly, relinquishing his hold on the phone and placing it back into Jughead's hands and shaking his head. "It's not Highschool out there anymore, Jug, and I hate to break it to you- but you're not as undesirable as you think you are. Girls look at you-"

"Please-"

"They do." Archie insists, eyes bright with merriment "and I am still amazed that you can't see it. You're not the same person as you were before, things aren't the same, you'll see. Plus, all of Ronnie's friends are beautiful."

"That's true." Veronica says, striding back out with her purse in tow and heading for the door. She wraps up Archie with her aura and he follows her like a puppy dog. Jughead thinks of cartoons where characters are whisked away by a lovely smelling pie. The thought makes his mouth water. He could go for some pie. Maybe he could ditch the party and get some pie- "Car's pulling around now, and it's true Jughead," Veronica calls over her shoulder "the mysterious loner vibe is very attractive. C'mon," she whistles, and before he can wonder about the dog allusions, he kicks off the wall to follow her out, a reluctant grin on his face. 

 

Veronica's rented out the upstairs of a club for the night, and it's significantly less grimy than the lower level was. There's carpet, an open bar and the guy behind it is wearing a suit, though he does have vampire teeth in. It's dark with strobing lights that are slightly slower than normal, so they're not as jolting as they could be. Jughead feels easier in his costume now, because Veronica's guests have certainly gone all out. He can see honest to god ballgowns, and a few Frankensteins- lots of smooth flashes of skin and more revealing corsets. There are more traditional tropes, like sexy maids and nurses, and a few of the guys are James Bond. 

He can see a few characters from recent movies, and he even sees a Wirt from Over the Garden Wall that he almost wants to go up to, but he manages to sidle his way over to the bar and snorts when he's handed a glass of champagne. Archie was right, all of Veronica's friends are beautiful, the guys included. Most of them are probably rich and privately educated, but they have excellent costumes and friendly smiles, so Jughead decides he doesn't really mind that much. The champagne is good, and the playlist is underratedly fantastic, so he relaxes into his red plush stool, thinking that he should probably be mingling.

A dark haired boy with a fake scar on his forehead and some Hogwarts robes stumbles up to the bar with a loud call for scotch, turned to look at him and whooped loudly. "Hey uh- can you make this pencil disappear?" He slurred, leaning forward and Jughead downed the rest of his champagne and patted the guy on the back.

"I think I'm the Suicide Squad, 'I'm not gonna kill ya, I'm just gonna hurt ya really, really bad' Joker, or maybe not- I wanted to be the Jack Nicholson one but Veronica said no, maybe I'm an amalgamation? But I appreciate the reference either way," he says.

Harry Potter just laughs, leaning into the bar, and Jughead shakes his head and peers out at the writhing, sweaty crowd.

His fingers itch for his phone. The Candy Crush Halloween bonus expires at midnight.

"Can I get a picture? My sister made me promise that if I saw a Joker we had to get a picture together." Comes a cheery voice, and Jughead turns to see an incredibly impressive Harley standing beside him. He'd been a little dismayed at what they'd done to the character in the movie, but he's not complaining now, because this girl with her disney-esque smile has legs for days that are just enunciated by those shorts. 

"Uh, sure?" He says, even though he hates having his photo taken, and manages a small smile as the girl slides her arm around his waist and holds her phone up into the air for a selfie. Jughead's pleased to note that she doesn't immediately examine it and demand another one, in fact, she barely looks at it before she's fiddling with her phone and the  _whoosh_ alerts him to the fact that it's been sent. After she's done that she looks up at him with a friendly grin.

"Hi! I'm Betty, I went to Highschool with Veronica!"

Jughead shakes his head fondly. The girl is exuding tremendous amounts of sunshine. "Jughead. I'm her boyfriend's best friend."

"Oh! Archie's friend," she nods, bouncing on her feet. Jughead assumes she's quite drunk. "Jughead, that's a fun name. Do your friends call you Juggie?" 

He snorts, shaking his head "I don't have a lot of friends." 

She pouts at him, looking honest-to-god sad, and touches his arm "You've got one now! I'm Betty!"

"You said that already," he points out, but she isn't listening, she's dragging him over to the bar and ordering two  _of those green thingies please_ and she's the most adorable, sexiest thing he's ever seen. It's a jarring juxtaposition. His eyes roam over her figure as she bends across the bar, incredibly appreciative, before he drags them away feeling like a pervert. She turns to face him when their drinks come, beaming, and he nearly whistles. She could give the real Harley a run for his money, he thinks. "So Betty," he begins, taking a sip from the incredibly sweet, incredibly alcoholic drink- no wonder's she's drunk- "you having a good time?" 

She nods, licking at the sides of her martini glass in a gesture that does absolutely nothing to calm him down. "Yeah, I lost my cousin but she's around here somewhere. She's Poison Ivy!" Her eyes look out onto the writhing masses and Jughead hums in acknowledgement.

"The entire family's DC crazy, then. I approve." 

"Well," Betty says, leaning into him with an exaggerated whisper "but I wanted to go as Nora Charles, I had a dress with frills and everything, but alas!" She sighs, half slumped onto his shoulder. "Cheryl said no one would know who I was, plus, don't tell anyone- but I'm  _single."_ She says the word like it's a crime and Jughead snorts loudly, but in reality, thoughts are racing through his minds. Firstly, how does she not have a boyfriend? She's easily the most beautiful woman in the room. Secondly-

"Nora Charles would have been amazing." He says, smiling at the way her blue eyes light up in the dark strobes. "In another universe we're probably Nick and Nora rather than this," he tugs at his own purple jacket "we'd be solving crimes instead of committing them. Isn't that a thought?"

He worries this is all going a little over her head, because she's just staring at his lips fixatedly. But then she speaks, a little slur in her voice "you know Nick and Nora?" She asks, bottom lip caught between her white teeth.

He nods- and then there's a handful of Betty Quinn in his arms, lips pressed against his own and her bold tongue already seeking entrance to his mouth. His lips part almost reflexively, but his hands aren't wrapping around her, one is still holding his drink and the other is in a daze by his side. She tastes of raspberries and sweet pink things and she smells of hairspray and bubblegum. 

But Jughead manages to pry himself away, shaking his head. "You're drunk," he says, gulping in mouthfuls of air "you-"

"You don't wanna?" She asks, pressing her chest against his and batting those perfectly doe-eyes up at him.

Jughead groans, he doesn't know how he got here. He'd come here to maybe meet a girl, not be jumped by the stunning blonde with legs to die for. He doesn't know why he's complaining though, she's taken a liking to him clearly, and she likes detectives- it's enough for him. But she's drunk, and he's never been that guy. And his hand snakes around her waist protectively, glancing over her head around the club to glare at any potential douches that might try to take advantaged of an inebriated beauty. "It's not that." He answers in response to her question, steering around the door. "I'm gonna take you home, alright?" 

It's only midnight, and the party's still in full swing, and he looks around for maybe some of Betty's friends, but he only spots Archie who gives him a thumbs up. Jughead rolls his eyes. "You look really good," Betty says, poking at his jaw, and Jughead nods, wrangling them over to the little booth where a bumblebee has been collecting coats all night. "Yummy. We should make out." She's stumbling along side him, trying to tilt his head towards her, but he fights it, a furious blush on his cheeks as they worm through the crowd. When she realises she can't reach his lips, she starts sucking at his neck and-

"Okay!" Jughead manages, voice high-pitched, as he succeeds in getting his arm over her shoulders and pushing her away whilst keeping her close. God, this is perfect, he's starting to get hard. Brilliant. "Hi, excuse me," he says to the coat keeper bee, who rakes her eyes up and down him appreciatively before shooting a jealous glare at Betty. His arm tightens around her reflexively. "Sorry, did Betty leave a coat or something? I'm taking her home." 

"Lucky her," the bumblebee drawls, and Jughead feels a flush of discomfort shoot down his spine. Veronica must have outdone herself. "No coat, as I remember, but a bat," she turns to fetch it and Betty jumps up and down with glee.

"My bat!" She squeals, her pigtails dancing in the air. "Thank you, puddin'!" She exclaims as its handed to her and she darts up to plant a wet kiss on Jughead's cheek, before whispering into his ear. "What's your name again? I'm Betty."

"Jeez," he laughs, shaking his head. "I'm Jughead. I'm taking you home, is that alright?" 

"That's just  _fine_ by me," she purrs, and Jughead tuts at her warningly as he tows her towards the exit. 

It's chilly outside, a cool relief against his skin, and he sets about ordering an uber. He figures Betty won't be able to tell him her address, and he doesn't really like the thought of her being home alone, really. Vomiting whilst she's on her back or something, and besides, Jellybean's at a halloween sleepover tonight. As he pays and the little map appears, showing  _Peter_ as fifteen minutes away, he looks up to see Betty just as she's swinging her bat.

He yelps, ducking in time, and she laughs, running over to start swinging around a lamppost, twirling her bat like a baton. 

He's beginning to think she might be crazy. 

But he's reluctantly fond. He doesn't usually get to spend his time with beautiful women, especially those who think he's attractive (though she is drunk), so the least he can do is humour her. He walks up to her, stripping off his coat and holding it out. She recognises the gesture for what it is, setting her bat on the floor and letting him set it over her shoulders. It's oversized and she's even more adorable than before, spinning around in his grasp to look up at him with her pretty blue eyes. 

He feels braver knowing she won't remember anything tomorrow. "Hello beautiful," he greets, and she flushes fleetingly, puckering her lips expectantly. 

Instead he kisses her nose, and steps away. "Want a piggyback?" He asks, and he's pegged her right because she gasps in glee. She picks up her bat and jumps onto his back. He oofs, but she's really quite light. His hands wrap around her ankles and her white tennis shoes, whilst she grips onto his shoulders, whirling the bat menacingly towards the bouncer, who Jughead realises has been watching them with an amused expression on his face.

"Mister J!" She sings, as Jughead twirls on his heel so she screams in delight and paces up and down the street, around the little orb of light from the streetlamp. His bare forearms from where his shirt's ridden up press against her calves and he can feel goosebumps prickle along his skin. Mister J fits, he thinks, his name is Jughead after all. He wonders if her name really is Betty, and he hopes it is. It's outdated and he thinks it suits her. 

When the uber comes, Jughead's self control is real slim. There's a gorgeous woman essentially begging him to kiss her and he's not sure how much longer he can hold out. His neck is sore from where she'd managed to catch him, sucking on the tendons there in a way that made him want to bash his face into the lamp just for a distraction.

They slide in, and Betty declares that Jughead's lap is the best seat, so they spend the ride home locked together as she nips at his earlobe and he tries his best not to be thoroughly enticed by her. He tips the driver extra when they get to his apartment block and pries the bat from her hand when she starts dragging it along the floor. He doesn't want it damaged. 

"C'mon Juggie," she whines as soon as the metal doors of the elevator close, and she pushes him up against the wall, pressing their bodies together.

"Jesus," he breathes, as one of her legs slides between his own. He reaches his hands up to smooth her pigtails over her shoulders. She's staring at him, looking like a model, eyes flickering between his eyes and mouth. She keeps licking her lips and he wishes she wouldn't. "Um- I- I work as a freelance editor." He manages, hoping the subject change will distract her even though a large part of him would like nothing more than to hoists her up so her divine legs hooked around his hips and kiss her senseless. "What do you do?" 

She doesn't step away from him, so they're still flush together. He can feel the rise and fall of her breasts against his chest and it's more than distracting. "I'm a journalist." She says, cocking her head thoughtfully. "I journal. I'm a journaller?" She smiles, nodding, and he trails the back of his fingers down her cheek. 

"I think we're fairly compatible." He admits, and she nods with grave seriousness. 

"The Joker and Harley!"

The doors ping open and Jughead guides her to his apartment. It's nice, a decent size and well kept. Completely open plan apart from the two bedrooms, the master is his with an ensuite and the smaller one that used to be a study is Jellybean's. He only turns on a lamp once they're in his bedroom, not wanting the lights to push them both into further wakefulness. She follows him happily to the bedroom, and plonks down onto top of the duvets, snuggling into his pillow, smearing white, blue and red everywhere. It's alright, Jughead thinks, he should be more patriotic anyway. It's obvious she's exhausted now she's lying down, so he quietly sets about getting her ready for bed. He's methodical but gentle, slipping off her shoes and setting them neatly by the bed. 

His fingers slide through her hair, remembering how he helped Jellybean out of knots, and eases the red and blue elastic band out. They're quite tight and the hair retains its position for a moment, before he smooths it out over the pillows. In the warm glow of the lamplight her hair reveals itself to be more gold than white, and the heart drawn on her face is slightly smudged. He admires her for a moment, revelling in the fact she's in his bed, before scoffing at his own ludicrousness and padding into the bathroom. He fills up a glass of water and grabs a box of aspirin, and then on some thought, his fluffy blue bathrobe.

He sets the tablets and the water down on the table, and folds up the bathrobe beside it. After that, he tugs the other half of the covers over her, and watches as she snuggles into the blankets. He sets her bat beside her, and drops a kiss onto her forehead, before undoing the buttons on his shirt as he pads back out into the living room. He drops it onto the armchair, kicking off his shoes and running a hand through his hair, wincing at the dry stickiness of it. Not wanting to ruin the sofa, he grabs a plastic bag and tucks it under his head as he collapses. 

By the time he falls asleep, it's only one am. 

 

 

Betty wakes up with a thumping headache and a cascade of memories. 

Some of the memories are hugely embarrassing, and others feature a delectable green haired villain. As she blinks awake, she swallows nervously at the fact she doesn't recognise where she is. She sits up, taking in the clean room, and listens for sounds. She can't hear anything. Maybe he went to work? Just as she spots the aspirin, her headache blossoms, and she smiles in relief, taking two with a big gulp of water and swinging her legs out of bed. 

She's still in her costume and it cuts here and there into her skin from where the weight of her body had embedded it into her. Whoever she ended up going home with is definitely a sweetheart, leaving that all out for her- her shoes are neatly on the floor and there's even a bathrobe which she picks up and cuddles into. It smells familiar and is the softest thing ever. Her bare feet pad around the bed as she heads into the bathroom. Normally she'd just run out as fast as she could, but she figures this guy is at work and he's already been so nice, surely he wouldn't mind? 

The bathroom is clean and there's only shampoo, body wash, a comb and a razor shoved together in a small holder mounted to the wall. She hooks the robe up by the towels and catches sight of herself in the mirror. Her makeup's smudged and her clothes are sleep rumpled, but it's her hair that catches her off guard. It's down. She wonders if she did that. She wonders if he did that. The thought makes her smile. 

After a long, hot shower where she looks blissfully like herself afterwards, Betty snuggles into the blue bathrobe, and pads out, her face flushed red with the heat and clear of everything, au natural, as she prefers. When she gets out of the bedroom, she takes a moment to take in the apartment. It's nice, the kitchen giving way to the dining room giving way to the living room; it makes the most of its space.

She walks to the kitchen, hoping to find some tea, when a snore makes her jump. She whips around, eyes peeled, and spots a pair of socked feet poking off the arm of the sofa. Intrigued, she makes her way over, and her lips part in surprise to see the man from her memories.

He's  _gorgeous._ Gosh, how did she get that? And drunk, as well? His hair's a weird shade of green, but there's bits of darker shades peaking through, and he's deliciously shirtless, showing the long rivets of muscle in his back. There's a slight crinkle every time he moves, from the bag beneath his face, and Betty figures he was probably trying to keep the sofa clean. She almost wants to take a photo, if it wouldn't be too weird, because now she wishes they had had sex. Waking up in bed next to him would be something of a dream. He shuffles, and fearing he might wake up, she flees back to the bedroom. 

She gets dressed into her costume quickly, keeping one eye on the door, but as she slips her shoes on, nothing happens, so she peaks her head out. He's still conked out on the sofa. She relaxes, embarrassed at herself for freaking out so quickly, and she shrugs the robe on top of her clothes. She wants to linger, she realises. She maybe...kinda wants to be here when he wakes up. Because not only is he attractive, but he also didn't take advantage of her, he laid out aspirin for her, and undid her hair. He's a gentleman, and there aren't many of them around anymore. She walks back into the kitchen, wrapped up in the smell of him, and sets about looking for tea. To her surprise she finds her favourite blend sitting in a neatly labelled pot and beams, pulling out a bag. 

Just as she's filling the kettle, the front door opens and Betty stares in shock as a six year old girl dressed like a pumpkin walks in. She's carrying a huge bag of candy, and she pauses upon seeing Betty, before turning to look at the Joker on the sofa. 

"Are you Jughead's friend?" The girl asks in a sweet voice, and she's got a sweet voice and dark curly hair. 

Betty nods, finding her own voice "Yeah," she croaks, Jughead- of course, she remembers him saying it more than once.  _Mister J_ comes into her head and she fights a blush. "And you are..."

"I'm Jellybean, his sister," she shrugs, setting a handful of candy on the counter. She has to tiptoe to reach it, and she smiles at Betty's look around a yawn. "Did you go as a cheerleader?" She asks, eyes wide and merry.

A lot of things are racing through Betty's head. He has a sister who he lives with...alone? What happened to their parents? Jellybean and Jughead? Who named them? And also- these shorts are a bit short, and there's no way a little girl has seen Suicide Squad. "Yeah," she smiles "but I lost my pompoms." 

Jellybean nods gravely, rubbing her eye with her tiny fist. "You still look very pretty without them. Will you tell Jug that um Mrs Barker dropped me home early and I'm going to bed and he can have this chocolate." She points to what she's placed on the table, and Betty thinks she's the cutest thing she's ever seen. 

"I definitely will. Sleep well, Jellybean." 

"Bye-bye," she calls, waving at her, before heading into her room and disappearing. Betty watches as the pumpkin edges out of sight and the door closing makes the figure on the couch jerk awake. His eyes are darting around the room and when they land on Betty she leaps to attention. 

"Um, Jellybean's asleep in her room- Mrs Barker dropped her off early. I'm wearing your bathrobe- thank you so much, I must've been a mess last night I'm so sorry. It was probably the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me, and I'm super grateful. The hair thing was- well, wow. And you look- I mean-The chocolate on the counter here is yours, and do you want some tea?" She wiggles the kettle enticingly and Jughead stares at her, green blue hair sticking in a myriad of directions. 

He blinks once, sluggishly, before shooting her a lazy smile. "Uh, that was a lot of information. But...yes to tea?" He hedges.

Betty laughs nervously, whirling around and pulling out another cup. "Right answer." She pops another tea bag in, aware to the sounds of Jughead standing and stretching. She hears him walk to Jellybean's room and peak in quietly, before closing it shut. Betty pushes the little flicker for the kettle to turn on, and spins to see Jughead watching her. He looks away, a little bashfully. 

"I'm gonna shower, and then uh...I have a shirt, if you wanna wear it over your outfit before you go." 

She's still in his blue dressing gown. She blushes deep red, and nods. "Maybe I'll make us some bacon?" She hedges, thinking about what her brother usually likes in the morning. She's rewarded with Jughead's bright smile. 

"A woman after my own heart." He agrees, before disappearing into his room. 

Betty tries to calm herself down whilst she makes the tea. The sun is beginning to rise and the entire room is suffused with dawn's gold. She sets the two cups down and finds the bacon easily, laying out two plates and some toast whilst it fries, crackling with oil satisfyingly. She's getting little flickers of last night, more and more now, she remembers a piggyback ride and is blissfully grateful that he entertained her rather than judging her. She remembers the feel of Jughead's lips on hers. She groans in embarrassment, but the flush on her cheeks is purely because of how soft they were, how they'd locked against hers-

"That smells amazing," Jughead's voice calls out to her, as he swaggers out of the bedroom. Betty's breath hitches in her throat at his appearance. His hair, now no longer green, is gloriously dark and lustrous, still partly wet as it drips into his forehead. He's wearing pyjama pants and an unbuttoned cotton shirt, that shows the light distinction of muscles along his abs. His skin is smooth and enticing, and Betty pulls her eyes away. 

"A little bit of butter in the pan," she says, turning back to it as Jughead sets himself down on the stool at the breakfast bar. "An old Cooper trick."

"So  _that's_ your second name," he grins "I thought it might just be Betty. Like Madonna." 

She blushes again, pulling the pan off and beginning to serve. She laughs as Jughead's eyes get wide and she can even tell he's salivating. Her mom was right, there is a very easy way to a man's heart. "I am sorry about last night," she begins, laying the bacon out onto the toast carefully. "I can be a bit much when I'm drunk, and you were such a gentlemen, I'm very luck to have found you." 

Jughead shrugs, pulling his plate towards him. "Don't sweat it, I had a good time." 

Betty sits opposite him, watching as he starts tucking in. "Really?" She asks shyly "even though you were forced to babysit?" She stares expectantly at Jughead, but he's moaning in pleasure at her food. She shakes her head at his antics. 

"I'm not kidding," he says, mouthful "this is  _divine."_ He wipes the back of his mouth with his hand, looking a little bit embarrassed and clears his throat. "No uh, I did have fun. Entertaining a beautiful woman on Halloween is not something I'm about to complain about." 

He's got such a nice voice, Betty thinks. All deep and articulate, she could listen to him speak for hours. "I had a good time too," she says quietly, and he smiles at her, picking up his tea and taking a deep sip. As his head tilts back, his long arch of a neck is revealed and Betty sees a few red splotches edging down towards his collar- as the memory comes back to her, she gasps and burns red. Jughead looks at her alarmed; before following her gaze. 

"Oh right," he says, looking a little awkward "you were a bit-"

" _Oh my god."_ Betty hisses "don't say it! If you say it it's real-"

"-Rambunctious." Jughead finishes with a teasing eyebrow waggle. "Can't say I particularly minded. I'm yummy, apparently." 

"Oh my god," she repeats, burying her face in her hands "oh my  _god."_

"C'mon Betty," he grins, leaning forward to pry one of her wrists away from her face "I had a good time. I mean, I'd have preferred it if you weren't drunk and I could have reciprocated or something, but being the 'Mister J' to your Harley? It made my night. Honestly." His eyes are sparkling green with sincerity, and she relaxes a little bit, her heart thumping at the fact that he would have kissed back, that he thinks she's beautiful. They eat the rest of their breakfast rather companionably, and Jughead explains how he's looking after his little sister whilst his dad's in prison. He doesn't mention his mom, but he does own his past with a degree of acceptance that Betty finds undeniably attractive. She talks about how she met Veronica, and her job- pleasantly surprised to find they're in the same field. 

The sunrise is long over by the time they've finished, and as Betty places everything into the sink, Jughead fetches her a blue plaid shirt. He hands it over and she shrugs off his robe, sliding into it. The cotton is soft on her skin and it smells like him. She folds the arms up and leaves it unbuttoned, grateful for the fact he's taller than her because that means it hangs lower than her shorts do, and in the warm light of morning- her modesty is something she would like to keep. 

"It looks good on you," he says, voice gruff, and Betty looks up from where she'd been fiddling with her sleeve.

Betty smiles, she recognises that tone. "I'd like to wear more of your clothes some time. A hoodie maybe?" 

Jughead's laughter peals delightedly through the air "Oh yeah, I'll give you my soccer sweatshirt with my name on it, and you can wear it to all the big games so that all the Cheerleaders know that we're dating." 

"Snark all you light," Betty teases "I was a cheerleader."

His mouth drops open. "Nora Charles? A cheerleader? Wow, I bet you were Homecoming Queen too, huh?" 

"That was Veronica." Betty sighs, sounding put out. "I really tried too. Had a gorgeous pink dress. Ballgown and everything." She walks around the counter, and leans against it, and Jughead takes the invitation for what it is, stepping towards her till he's right in front of her and they're as close as they can be without touching. 

He mock pouts "with the Cinderella heels and the beautiful carnation, right? Did you have a limo drop you off?" 

She tips her head up a little bit, content to keep jesting with him, but yearning for something a little more. Maybe a kiss that he can initiate- she doesn't have time to finish the thought, before his lips are on hers, his hands on her neck, cupping her jaw. She melts into him, hands sliding into his shirt and skating over his ribs. It starts of sweet, hard, but sweet, just their lips pressed together. But as one of his hands moves to curl into her hair she lets out an inadvertent moan that does something to him. 

It's the hottest thing she's ever seen, she thinks, as he starts kissing her with abandon, hands moving to her waist and hoisting her up so she's on the counter, legs wrapped around his waist. And she got him like this- it shoots heat right through her core, hands tangling into his hair as he works a hickey into her neck. "Do you know how much I wanted to do this last night?" He whispers against her skin, and Betty just gasps breathlessly in response. Just as his hands have started to slide under her top, his fingers sending sparks through her-

his phone alarm goes off.

It's not that loud, but it's enough to jar them away from each other as he rushes to shut it off. He drops it back onto the sofa, panting a little and grinning at her. "You look utterly debauched." He grins, and she licks her lips, feeling every bit debauched. She wants to stay, but she doesn't know what's going to be happening with Jellybean and Polly will start worrying, so she hops off the counter and steps in the direction of the door. Jughead heads back to the breakfast bar and plucks up a piece of halloween candy that his sister left for him. "So uh...we should...meet up again?" 

She sags in relief, and offers him her brightest smile "Definitely! This is um- my phone." She hands it to him, and he offers her a small smile, taking it "you could- put your number in, and then I could text you?" 

He nods, typing it in "do you need anything? Money for a cab? Or-"

"I can figure it out," she smiles, not wanting to put him out anymore than she already has. They awkwardly bid each other good bye, and Betty makes her way out of the building. 

To a familiar street.

She breathes a sigh of relief, she knows where she is, it's just a bus ride away from her apartment. The street's are empty and quiet, and there's still pumpkins dotted around people's houses, and Betty feels good. There's a small throbbing on her neck that she hopes turns into a small mark from Jughead, and the sun is beating down. She feels the urge to start skipping, and laughs to herself. It's a brilliant feeling to start the new month on. 

When the bus comes, the bus driver seems perturbed by her cheerful mood, but Betty doesn't even notice, as she collapses into one of the seats. There's only one other passenger, sitting way at the back with headphones on, so Betty takes out her phone to call Veronica, but it opens onto her contacts page, where she can see that Jughead's put his name as 'Mister J'.

She smiles, clicking on the number and biting her lip. She taps it out before she can regret it  **Would you die for me?** She types, not expecting a response and a little ashamed at herself for texting so quickly, but before she can even scroll down to Veronica's name, a response comes through. 

**Too easy.** It says, and Betty doesn't think her heart has done a flip like that since her first crush in school. She can hear Veronica's voice in her head, telling her to go for it, so she takes a breath, and types out. 

**I'm free for coffee tomorrow, and we live close to each other?**

His response is instant and it makes Betty squeal internally.  **Pretty sure I'd be there if I had to catch a plane. 11am?**

**Sounds good :)** She writes, just as her phone buzzes again. She checks it quickly, assuming it's Jughead, but instead she sees a message from Polly. She clicks on it, hoping that she isn't worrying too much. 

**You two better become official that is the cutest^^** It says and Betty scrolls up curiously, before seeing the photo of her and Jughead at the club. She's definitely taking it, though she doesn't remember how, and they both look good. Sinfully good, if she does say so herself. They're both smiling and wrapped around each other, and the lights cast an appealing glow over them. She saves the photo into a new album and messages Polly with hope blossoming in her heart. 

**To be the first of many** she promises, leaning back in her seat with a smile. 

**Author's Note:**

> leave a comment or a prompt on your way out beauties! x


End file.
